Carl A. Kirker-Head
Associate Professor
Department of Clinical Sciences
General Large Animal Surgery
Marilyn M. Simpson Chair in Equine Medicine
Director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratory
Phone: 508-839-7926
Fax: 508-839-7922
Email: carl.kirker-head@tufts.edu

Education
Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Vet MB) - University of Cambridge, England - 1983
Master of Arts (MA) - University of Cambridge, England - 1984

Board Certification
American College of Veterinary Surgeons
European College of Veterinary Surgeons

Laboratory Post-doctoral Personnel
Marianne Stark

General Research Interest

Investigative Interests

• Bone growth and remodeling, bone repair in response to injury, bone grafting.
• Bone inductive and mitotic proteins.
• Bone cell culture therapy. Surgical and other orthopedic disease models.
• Bone and soft tissue mechanics. Ligament and tendon physiology and response to injury.
• Skeletal tissue engineering.
• Orthopedic device development.
• Per-cutaneous treatment of cardiac disease. Animal models of cardiac disease.
• Intervential cardiology.

Clinical Interests

• Clinical equine athletic injury including non-adaptive bone disease.
• Orthopedic surgery, particularly internal fixation and arthroscopy.
• Equine hoof form and function, including corrective farriery.
• Equine vascular disease.
• Clinical pharmaceuticals.

On-going Studies
"Bone Regeneration Via Silk Biomaterials" National Institutes of Health funded. Assessment of natural silk as facilitator of new bone formation and delivery vehicle for bone inducing proteins and bone forming stem cells.

“Radiofrequency energy for arthroscopic synovial ablation”.  Industry funded assessment of novel arthroscopic (key-hole) surgical instruments for use in humans and animals.
           
“Validation of a novel intracardiac implant for treatment of mitral regurgitation”. Industry funded assessment of a novel minimally invasive technique for treating cardiac valve disease in humans.

Specialized Capabilities or Interests

1. Orthopedic equine surgery
2. General equine surgery
3. Arthroscopic surgery
4. Implantology
5. Medical device and drug testing
6. Disease models
7. Advanced imaging modalities

Major Specialized Equipment Items Available:
Instron Model 8511 servohydraulic materials testing device; a Picker 5000 spiral CT; a Siemens Symphony 1.5 Tesla MRI; an Hologic Q1000 DXA scanner; a digital high resolution gamma camera (IS2 NuCamma Enhanced Technologies, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.); digitized fluoroscopy (Shimadzu RS-110 Remote radiology/fluoroscopy room with UD150L 630MA 50 KW ); and a Kistler model Z4852 piezoelectric quartz crystal force plate Gait Analysis System. Video-endoscopy, a high speed treadmill, comprehensive surgical facilities, a media center, and clinical pathology and pathology facilities complement the environment.

Selected Publications

1. Kirker‐Head CA, Schwoegler M. “A characterization of farrier Services at Private Equine Surgical Hospitals.”   Equine Veterinary Education.  In press.

2. Kirker‐Head CA, Krane G, “A characterization of farrier Services at United States Veterinary Teaching Hospitals”.  Equine Veterinary Education .  In press.

3. Jenner, F, Kirker‐Head CAj.  Core decompression of the Equine Navicular Bonean in vitro biomechanical study. Accepted for publication in Veterinary Surgery

4. Jenner F, Kirker‐Head CAh.  Core decompression of the Equine Navicular Bone – an in vivo study on healthy horses. Accepted for publication in Veterinary Surgery

5. Evans CH, Liu FJ, Glatt P, Hoyland JA, Kirker‐Head CA, Walsh A, Betz O, Wells W, Betz V, Porter RM, Saad FA, Gerstenfeld LC, Einhorn TA, Harris MB, and Vrahas MS. Use of genetically modified muscle and fat grafts to repair defects in bone and cartilage. Europe cell materials. 2009. 18:96‐111.

6. Kleine L, Solano M, Rusckowski M, Hunt K, Johnson K, Kirker‐Head CAh. MA, Evaluation of 99mTechnitium‐EDTA‐Biotin as a Soft Tissue Imaging Agent in Horses. Am J Vet Res. 2008. 69:639‐46.

7. Wang Y, Rudym DD, Walsh A, Abrahamsen L, Kim HJ, Kim JS, Kirker‐Head CAh, Kaplan, DL. (2008). In vivo degradation of three dimensional silk fibroin scaffolds. Biomaterials 29:3415‐3428.

8. Kirker‐Head CA, Boudrieau RJ, Kraus KH.  Use of bone morphogenetic proteins for augmentation of bone regeneration. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2007. 231:1039‐55.  

9. Mauney JR, Nguyen T, Gillen K, Kirker‐Head CA, Gimble JM, Kaplan DL.  Engineering adipose‐like tissue in vitro and in vivo utilizing human bone marrow and adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells with silk fibroin 3D scaffolds. Biomaterials. 2007. 28:5280‐90.

10. Kirker‐Head CA, Karageorgiou V, Hofmann S, Fajardo R, Betz O, Merkle HP, Hilbe M, von Rechenberg B, McCool J, Abrahamsen L, Nazarian A, Cory E, Curtis M, Kaplan D, Meinel L.  BMP‐silk composite matrices heal critically sized femoral defects. Bone. 2007. 41:247‐55.

11. Meinel L, Betz O, Fajardo R, Hofmann S, Nazarian A, Cory E, Hilbe M, McCool J, Langer R, Vunjak‐Novakovic G, Merkle HP, Rechenberg B, Kaplan DL, Kirker‐Head CAh. Silk based biomaterials to heal critical sized femur defects. Bone. 2006. 39:922‐31.  

12. Mauney JR, Kirker‐Head CA, Abrahamson L, Gronowicz G, Volloch V, Kaplan DL.  Matrix‐mediated retention of in vitro osteogenic differentiation potential and in vivo bone‐forming capacity by human adult bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells during ex vivo expansion. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2006. 79:464‐75.  

13. Kraus KH, Kirker‐Head CAh. Mesenchymal stem cells and bone regeneration. Vet Surg. 2006. 35:232‐42. 

14. Kirker‐Head CA, Van Sickle DC, Ek SW, McCool JC. Safety of, and biological and functional response to, a novel metallic implant for the management of focal full‐thickness cartilage defects: Preliminary assessment in an animal model out to 1 year. J Orthop Res. 2006. 24:1095‐108. 

15. Kirker‐Head CA, McCool J, Gronowicz G, Zichner L, Langer R, Vunjak‐Novakovic G, Kaplan D.The inflammatory responses to Silk films in vitro and in vivo. Biomaterials. 26:147‐155, 
    2005.